Door lock mechanism

ABSTRACT

AN IMPROVED DOOR LOCK MECHANISM WHICH PROVIDES FULFILMENT OF THE DOOR LOCK FUNCTION TO BE MANIPULATED FROM INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE, DOOR LOCK FUNCTION BY KEY OPERATION FROM OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE, AUTOMATIC RELEASE FUNCTION IN THE CASE THAT THE DOOR SHOULD BE CLOSED FOLLOWING THE ERRONEOUS LOCKING OF THE DOOR FROM INSIDE, AND KEYLESS LOCK OPERATION FROM OUTSIDE WITHOUT USE OF A MANUAL KEY.

DOOR LOCK MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 17 1970 FIG.2

June 6, 1972 NOZOMU TORI! 3,667,792

DOOR LOCK MECHANISM Filed Maren 17 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGS FIG.6

United States Patent 3,667,792 DOOR LOCK MECHANISM Nozomu Torii, Kariya-shi, Japan, assignor to Aisln Serkr Company Limited, Kariya-shi, Aichi-ken, Japan Filed Mar. 17, 1970, Ser. No. 20,185 Claims priority, appligation ilglpan, Mar. 18, 1969,

Int. (:1. EllSc 3/26 US. Cl. 292-216 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to door lock mechanisms, es pecially adapted for use in automotive vehicles.

The main object of the invention is to provide an improved door lock mechanism which provides fulfilment of the following several desirous functional requirements of the door lock mechanism in combination:

The door lock mechanism of the kind above referred to must perform, in combination, the following several functional requirements:

(1) Maintenance of the closed position of a door when the latter has been operated to its closed position (unlocked).

(2) Allowability of opening of the door which has been closed as described in the above item l) the opening operation being carried into effect either from inside or outside of the vehicle as desired.

(3) Door lock function to be manipulated from inside of the vehicle and for the purpose of preventing an invasion of unauthorized person into the vehicle.

(4) Door lock function by key operation to be carried out from outside of the vehicle and for preventing an invasion of unauthorized person into the vehicle.

(5) Unlock operation which means an automatic lock release function such that when a door is erroneously locked from inside and then the door is closed.

(6) Keyless lock operation which means such that the door can be locked from outside without use of a manual key. This possibility is highly valuable when it is desired to lock the door without use of the door key, for instance, in the case of rainy weather.

These and further objects of the invention will appear more apparent when read in the following detailed description of the invention by reference to several accompanying drawings illustrative of substantially a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is substantially a front view of the door lock mechanism of the invention under such conditions that the door has been opened.

FIG. 2 is a similar view to FIG. 1, wherein the cover plate has been removed for the demonstration of inner working parts of the mechanism.

FIG. 3 is a rear review of the mechanism shown in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are similar views of FIG. 2, wherein the door is being closed in two stages of operation of the door lock mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a similar view to FIG. 3, wherein, however, the door has been closed.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the mechanism when seen from left-hand side of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a rear view of the mechanism when it is in its latched position.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the striker which cooperates with the door lock mechanism.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a striker.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 10 denotes a plate-like main body of the door latch mechanism according to this invention, said main body being reinforced by a peripheral strengthening rib or flange 10a. The main body 10 is provided with a cover plate 11 made integral therewith and formed with a plurality of, herein four, bolt holes 12 for insertion of fixing bolts, not shown. The cover plate 11 is also formed with a plurality of similar bolt holes, not shown, for insertion of fixing bolts, again not shown. By the provision of these bolt holes, the door latch is detachably fixed to the conventional edge panel, not shown, of an automotive vehicle door by means of screw bolts, not shown.

The latch is formed with a lateral recess 15 which is adapted for cooperation with a conventional striker, only schematically shown at 14, when the door is being closed. This striker 14 is fixed to a stationary pillar or the like member, not shown, which constitutes a part of the chassis, not shown, of the vehicle. The latch mechanism is further formed with a broader recess 17 which is kept in physical communication with the first recess 15 and receiving a latch member 16, the latter being rotatable about its pivot pin 18 made integral therewith. This pin 18 is rotatably mounted in a round opening 10b formed through the body of main body 10 within the area of said recess 17, and the corresponding part of cover plate 11.

The latch member 16 is formed with an arc-shaped peripheral surface 19, the radius of center of which is situated at the central axis of said pin 18. The second recess 17 is partially defined by a correspondingly arc-shaped peripheral wall 20. The arc-shaped peripheral surface 19 is kept in slidable contact with the peripheral wall 20, as shown. It will be seen thus the surface 19 and the peripheral wall 20 are both concentric with the pivot pin 18.

The latch member 16 is further formed with an arc shaped groove 21 within the area of said second recess 17, a coil spring 23, only schematically shown, being inserted within said groove 21 under tension and a pin 22 rigid with the latch member being kept in pressure contact with one end of said spring 23. In this way, the latch member is resiliently urged to turn in the clockwise direction in FIG. 2.

The numeral 24 is a rotatable checker which is really a kind of headed pin received in a stepped opening bore through the material of the main body 10, said opening 100 having an upper enlarged concentric recess 100a rotatably receiving the head 24a of said checker which has a semi-moon head part 26 having a pair of substantially diametrally opposite points 26a and 26b adapted for acting as checker pawl means. For this purpose, the enlarged recess 100a is partially broken, so as to physically communicate with the second recess 17. Although not shown, the stem of the checker is rotatably received in the reduced opening part 100.

During the door-opening operation, as will be more fully described hereinafter, the concentric arc-shaped peripheral surface 19 of latch member 16 influences upon the checker so that the checker pawl means are receded from the area of the second recess 17, thus the checker being kept in its off-service position. On the other hand, during the door-closing operation, the latch member 16 being turned resiliently under the action of the urging coil spring 23 is brought to such a position wherein a first latch tooth 27 or a second latch tooth 28 is brought into registration with the checker, thus the checker pawl means 26a or 26b being protruded into the area of the second recess 17 and brought into engagement with said pawl means, as shown in FIG. 4, or 5, respectively.

The numeral 29 represents a slide block having substantially a key shape when seen in FIGS. 2, 4 and and being mounted slidable along a pin 30 which directs substantially in the same direction as the striker 14 comes in when the door is being closed. An urging coil 32 is mounted around said pin 30 and abuts with its one end for urging the slide block to move in the leftwards in 'FIG. 2. The slide block 29 and its mounting pin 30 are arranged in the area of said second recess 17. The upper surface 31, when seen in FIG. 2, of the slide block 29 is considerably tapered in such a way that the striker reception recess provides a gradually smaller effective space, as the striker 14 invades inwardly along the first recess 15.

Next, referring to FIGS. 3, 6, 7-8, the operating mechanism will be now described in detail.

Cover plate 11 comprises an elongated side wall 33 extending vertically in FIG. 1 and cooperates with the back side part of the main body 10 when assembled into a unit. The said side wall 33 is formed with a substantially triangular projection plate 34, an L-shaped bell crank lever 34 serving as a conventional inside open lever being pivotably mounted at its substantially middle point on the inside surface of said plate 34 by means of a pivot pin 35, as most clearly seen from FIG. 7.

The lever 34 has one arm 36 which is perforated at 101 for link connection with a conventional inside door-opening handle, not shown. When this handle is operated in its door-opening direction, the lever 34 is turned clockwise in FIG. 7. The second arm at 37 of the lever 34 is kept in engagement with one arm 40 of an outside open lever 39 in such a way that when said handle is operated in the door-opening direction, the lever 39 is turned counter-clockwise in FIG. 3.

As seen, the lever 39 is rotatably pivoted by means of a pivot pin 38 on the backside surface of main body 10, said arm 40 of the lever passing loosely through a slot 41 formed in the side wall 33 of cover plate 11 for allowing a pivotal movement of the lever around its pivot pin 38. An urging spring 42 is tensioned between the lever 39 and the main body 10 so that the lever is urged resiliently to turn in the clockwise direction in FIG. 3. Under normal conditions, the lever arm 40 abuts against an end extremity 41a of said slot 41 so that the lever is positioned as shown in FIG. 3. The lever 39 comprises a second arm 43 which is formed with a slot 43a for linkeclly connecting with an outside door handle, not shown. When this handle is operated in its door-opening direction, the outside open lever 39 is pivotally moved in the counter-clockwise direction in FIG. 3.

A connecting bar 44 is formed at its intermediate area between the both end extremities with an axially elongated slot 47 and pivotably connected at its lowermost end 45 with the lever arm 43 by a pivot pin 46. Through the slot 47, a pin '50 is slidably passed and studded on a rocker plate 49 which is pivoted in turn at 48 on the back surface of main body 10. A turn-over spring 51 is tensioned between said rocker 49 and main body 10, thereby the rocker being kept in position either in its unlatched one shown in FIG. 3, or in its latched one shown in FIG. 8.

The rocker plate 49 is linked at its one end 53 with a conventional inside locking button or the like door-locking means, although not shown. This locking arrangement is so designed and arranged that when the locking means is operated in its door-loclking direction, the rocker 49 is turned clockwise from the unlock position shown in FIG. 3 to the lock position shown in FIG. 8.

On the other hand, the rocker 49 is further linked at its opposite end "53 with a further door-locking means having a conventional design of the key-operated type, al-

though not shown on account of its very popularity. This arrangement is so designed and arranged that when the locking means is key-operated in its door-opening direction, the rocker is turned clockwise again from the position shown in FIG. 3 to that shown in FIG. 8. All the related parts of the connecting bar 44 is so designed and arranged that when the outside open lever 39 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 6 with the rocker plate 49 positioned in its unlatched position shown therein, the inwardly turned-down end at 54 of the connector 44 is brought into engagement with one end 57 of open plate 56 rigid with a shaft 55 united with a rotatably checker 24, for turning the plate 56 counter-clockwise in FIG. 6.

The outside open lever 39 and its related parts are so designed and arranged that even when this lever is turned counterclockwise in FIG. 8 with the rocker plate 49 positioned in its latch position as shown therein, the connecting bar 44 does not touch by its end 54 with the related end of said lever 56. One end 58 of open lever 56 is turned down inwardly towards the main body 10 in the form of a kind of a hook, this hooked end extending into a curved slot '59 formed in the main body 10 and kept in pressure contact with one end of a compression coil spring 60 positioned within said slot 59', thereby the open plate being urged to rotate in the clockwise direction in FIG. 6 (or counter-clockwise in FIG. 2), together with the checker 24.

The opposite or upper end part of the connecting bar 44 is once turned up remote from main body 10 and then extends a certain distance substantially in parallel to the back surface of the body 10, the spacing between this parallel bar end and the back surface of said body 10 being selected to be larger than the exposed projecting part of pin 22 from within slot 21.

In the unlatched position shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the upper end of the connecting bar 44, when seen in these figures, is so positioned that it covers only partially said slot 61, and thus, movement of pin 22 along the groove or slot 61 does not conflict with the connector bar 44. While, in the position shown in FIG. 8, the related end part of the bar 44 extends fully across substantially mid- .dle of the slot so that by movement of the pin 22 therealong, the pin would be brought into physical contact with the bar 44.

As seen from FIGS. 9 and 10, the striker 14 comprises a base plate 62 and a U-shaped arm 63 made rigid therewith. The base plate 62 is formed with a pair of bolt holes 64 for insertion of respective bolts or rivets, not shown, so as to attach fixedly the striker to the pillar or the like rigid part of the vehicle chassis.

The operation of the door lock mechanism shown and described so far is as follows:

In the stage of a door-opening operation, the latching parts of the mechanisms are positioned as shown in FIG. 2 and the operating parts are maintained in the position shown in FIG. 3.

When the vehicle door is being closed, the striker 14 approaches relatively to the main body 10 and the U- shaped arm 63 of the striker will invade into the guide groove 15 formed in both main body 10 and cover plate 11. In this way, the arm '63 will be brought into pressure contact with feed pawl 65 formed on latch member 16 so that the latter is rotated in the counterclockwise direaction in FIG. 2 and around the pivot pin 18 against the action of spring 23.

By this rotating movement of latch member 16, checking pawl 66 formed on the latch member in opposition to the feed pawl 65 advancing rotatingly in the clockwise direction in FIG. 2 for establishing a positive engagement with the incoming striker 14. When the latch member 16 has been rotated from its position shown in FIG. 2. to that in FIG. 4, the checker 24 which has been rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2 under the influence of spring 60 and on account of a provisional release of the normally established locked condition of the checker by being contacting with the arc-shaped peripheral surface 19 of latch member 16, will rotate in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2, thereby the checking pawl means, in this case 26a, advancing into the area of the second recess 17 and brought into checking engagement with the first tooth 27 on the latch member so as to bring about a provisional or safety latch position of the mechanism, as shown in FIG. 4. In this position, the latch member is checked naturally against further counterclockwise rotation.

When, however, the arm 63 of striker 14 advances further inwardly along the first recess 15, the latch member 16 will be rotated further in the counterclockwise direction and the provisionally established latching engagement of checker 24 with the first pawl is released thereby. Then, a checking engagement of checker pawl means 26b with a second tooth 28 formed on the periphery of latch member 16 will be invited, so as to a final or complete latch condition of the mechanism. In this way, the striker is brought into its final and completely latched position as shown in FIG. 5. During this final invading action of striker 14 along the guide recess 14, the striker will be brought into contact with the inclined upper surface 31 of slide block 29, thereby the latter being moved inwards against the action of spring 32. -In the final and completely latched position of the striker 14, the arm 63 of the latter is subjected to an upward pressure by the pressure contact thereof with the inclined upper surface 31 of the slide block backed up by spring 32, thus the arm being brought into abutting engagement with the upper side wall 67 of the guide recess for removing occasional and normally unavoidable idle plays between the striker and the recess wall.

During the final and completely latching operation of the striker, the operating section of the door lock mechanism will act in the following way.

In this case, pin 22 rotates in unison with latch member 16 and open plate 56 will rotate in unison with the checker, the working parts of said section will be transferred in their position from that in FIG. 3 to that shown in FIG. 6.

When the driver or the like authorized person desires to open the closed door by manipulating the door handle, not shown, from outside of the vehicle in its door-opening direction, the outside open lever 39 is turned clockwise around the pivot pin 3-8, thereby the connecting bar 44 being shifted downwards in FIG. 6, until the lever end 54 is brought into engagemen with the end 57 of open plate 56, thereby the latter being rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 6 against the action of spring 60. With rotational movement of the plate 56, the checker 24 will rotate clockwise in FIGS. 4 and 5 and the pawl means 26 is receded thereby from the area of recess 17. In this way, the hitherto established engagement of checking pawl means 26 of checker 24 with the second tooth 28 on latching member 16 is released so that the latch member is turned clockwise under the influence of spring action at 23. The latch member 16 is then returned to the position shown in FIG. 2 upon receding of the locking tooth projection 66 from the defined area of the arm 63 of striker 14. In this position, the door is ready for opening by application of a manual or the like door-opening effort in that sense.

When the inside door handle, not shown, is operated in its door-opening direction with the door closed, inside open lever 34 will be rotated clockwise in FIG. 6 about pivot pin 35, until the end 37 of lever 34 is brought into engagement with the related end of outside open lever 39, thereby the latter being rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 6. Thus, the door can be opened as in the case of the outside door-opening operation.

When the driver or the like person manipulate with a key from outside or the inside door lock push button from inside of the vehicle, as the case may be, in the direction for door locking, rocking plate 49 is rotated clockwise about pivot pin 48 so that the plate is transferred from the position shown in FIG. 6 to that illustrated in FIG.

47 of connecting bar 44, the bar is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 6 around the pivot pin 46 rigid with lever end 45, into the position shown in FIG. 8. With the rocking plate 49 brought to its position shown in FIG. 8, then the turn-over spring 51 will urge the rocking plate clockwise which means the opposite urging direction relative to the plate 49, the latter being thus kept in the position shown in FIG. 8.

With the rocking plate 49 and the connecting bar 44 kept in position shown in FIG. 8, a counterclockwise turning movement of outside open lever 48 and the downward movement of connecting bar 44 thereby caused, which has been brought about by a door-opening operation either from inside or outside of the vehicle, will not bring lever end 54 into engagement of the end 57 of open plate 56, thus any counterclockwise rotation of open plate 56, when seen in FIG. 8 being not invited. Therefore, in this case, the latch member 16 is kept in engagement with checker means 24 and thus locked in the completely latched position shown in FIG. 5. Under these conditions, the door cannot be opened.

If the operator or the like person should perform a door lock operation from inside of the vehicle under these conditions and then the door is operated in the closing direction, the latch member 16 for engagement with the striker 14 is correspondingly rotated and the projecting end of pin 22 from the back side of main body 10 and made rigid with the latch member will shift from left to right in FIG. 8 and along the slot or groove 61. At an intermediate point of this shifting movement of pin 22, the latter will collide against a portion near the end of connecting bar 44, the latter being rotated thereby clockwise about the pivot pin 46. In this way, the bar 44 will act through the pin 50 on the rocking plate 49 for counterclockwise turning of this plate and the latter will be brought to the position shown in FIG. 6, being assisted by the urging ac tion of turn-over spring 51. At the same time, the bar 44 will occupy the position shown again in FIG. 6.

Under these conditions, when the driver performs a door opening operation from outside of the vehicle, for turning the outside open lever 39 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 6, the door will be opened, since in this case, the connecting bar 44 is kept in such a position where the bar end 54 may be brought into engagement with the plate end 57 upon downward shift of the bar 44. This means the unlock condition.

When it is desired to bring about a keyless lock operation, the door is kept in its open position and the lock push button is operated from inside into its locking position, for bringing the rocking lever 49 into its position shown in FIG. 8. Then, it will sufiice to close the door with the door handle kept in its door-opening position. In this way, the rotational movement of outside open lever 39 will bring the bar 44 into a downward movement and the related or upper end part of the bar will cover partially the slot or groove 61, and thus, as was referred to hereinbefore, even a movement of pin 22 from left to right along the groove 61, being caused by the rotational movement of latch member 16, does not invite a cooperative engagement of the pin 22 with the connecting bar 44. In this way, the bar 44 and the plate 49 are kept in their locking posi tion, even after a door-closing operation has been performed. It will be seen that a door-opening operation performed either from outside or inside of the vehicle after realization of a door-closing operation will not invite a door-opening.

I'he embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are as follows:

1. A door lock mechanism comprising in combination:

a striker fixedly attached to a motor vehicle chassis adjacent an edge panel of a door of said vehicle;

a base plate fixed to said edge panel;

a latch member pivotally mounted on one side of said base plate, said latch member being adapted for engagement with said striker when said door is being closed, said latch member being rotated in a first rotational direction upon the closing of said door;

a checker member pivotally mounted on one side of said base plate and adapted for engagement with said latch member, said checker member being engaged with said latch member upon engagement of said latch member with said striker to prevent rotation of said latch member in the opposite direction;

a pin having one end thereof secured to said latch member, the remaining end of said pin extending through a slot formed in said base plate to the opposite side thereof biasing means bearing against said pin;

an opening lever pivotally mounted on said opposite side of said base plate, said opening lever operatively connected with a door opening means for selective operation from inside and outside of said vehicle;

a locking lever pivotally mounted on said opposite side of said base plate and pivotable between a locking and an unlocking position;

means for moving said locking lever between said locking and unlocking positions, said means selectively operable from inside and outside of said vehicle;

an opening plate fixedly attached to one end of said checker member, said opening plate positioned on said opposite side of said base plate; and

a connecting bar having one end pivotally attached to said opening lever, an intermediate portion of said connecting bar being slidably connected with said locking lever, the remaining end of said connecting bar being engageable with said opening plate when said locking lever is in its unlocking position for rotating said checker member to release said latch member upon rotation of said opening lever, said connecting bar being moved away from said opening plate when said locking lever is in its locked position to prevent engagement of the remaining end of said connecting bar with said opening plate.

2. A door lock mechanism as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means provided on said connecting bar adapted for engagement with said pin upon the rotation of said latch member in said first rotational direction upon the closing of said door when said locking lever is in its locking position, whereby the engagement of said pin with said means provided on said connecting bar Will move said locking lever to its unlocking position.

3. A door lock mechanism as claimed in claim 2, Wherein said means provided on said connecting bar for engagement with said pin is positioned a predetermined distance from the remaining end of said connecting bar to prevent engagement with said pin when said locking lever is in its locking position and said opening lever is operated, whereby said locking lever is maintained in its locking position upon the closing of the vehicle door with said opening lever being operated.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,344,5 32 3 1944 Brantingson 292l98 2,877,043 3/ 1959 Leslie 292DIG 27 1,060,019 4/ 1913 Pederson 29299 3,153,551 10/1964 Sandor et a1. 292280 3,190,682 6/1965 FOX et a1. 292DIG 26 RICHARD E. MOORE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

292--DIG 25, DIG 26 

